Stove top pork belly

This is my invention, but I doubt it is terribly different to other recipes out there except that it has no alliums. I don’t eat alliums, they are mean to me. So I often need to amend or invent to come up with dishes that avoid them. I fed this to a friend a few weeks ago. She liked it and I promised to write up the recipe.

Pack the meat into the marinade, I usually leave it 24hrs or more before cooking, in the fridge of course. Using the pot you will cook in for all stages** make this even easier.I aim to use a pot that allows the meat to be packed in a single layer with little extra space, because there isn’t a lot of marinade and it’s also the cooking liquid.

Put the pot on the stove, covered, and bring slowly to a simmer. Simmer about 2-3hrs or until the meat is falling apart. It can be eaten then, or if you want to reduce the fat content, chill overnight and lift off the solidified fat before reheating and serving. You can either serve the meat slices whole (if they are still hanging together) or chop the lot up before serving. I often use kitchen scissors for this.

I usually serve it with steamed Chinese veg and either rice or noodles. As an alternative, strain off the liquid and reduce to a syrup before serving. I could wish it was prettier dish. It’s not, but it is unctuous and tasty and comforting. Also easy.

You can use other cuts of pork, but the result won’t be as tender.
It works with chicken too, but reduce the cooking time to 1hr. I’ve only used dark chicken pieces and wings for this.

* I have to make my own sweet chilli, because all the commercial ones have garlic in. I’m nearly out though and it’s a challenge to make. When I get around to another batch I might write it up.